Roofing fabric



No. 624,976. Patented May l6, I899.

B. J. REDICK. ROOFING FABRIC.

(Application filed Feb. 16, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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MED it STATES I PATENT OF ICE.

ROBERT J. REDIOK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ROOFING FABRIC.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,976, dated May 16, 1899.

Application filed February 16, 1899. Serial No. 705,714} (No specimens-J To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT J. RnDIoK, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have in vented an Improvement in Roofing Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

Figure I is a view in perspective, illustrating the construction and composition of my improved roofing fabric. Fig. II is a cross-section, upon an enlarged scale, for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the construction and composition.

Heretofore it has been the practice to place a sheet of paper saturated with tar or asphalt on top of a sheet of burlap and then put a layer of gravel on top of the paper, and it has been the practice in putting on the gravel to leave a narrow margin at one edge without any gravel. Two different methods have been employed to produce this ungraveled margin. In the first method the asphalt or tar was applied in such a way that this narrow margin was left free of sticky material, and then of course the gravel would not stick. In the second method the paper was completely coated with the asphalt or-tar, and then a strip of paper was applied to the margin, thus preventing the gravel from sticking.

My improved roofing fabric consists of sheet l of seasoned-asphalt roofing-felt, a sheetQjof seasoned-asphalt roofing-felt,a coating 3 of asphalt between the sheets 1 and 2, a coating at of asphalt on top of the sheet 2, the sheet 5 of burlap coated with asphalt, thus making the coating 6 of asphalt on top of the coating 4 and the coating 7 of asphalt on top of the burlap, the wide layer of gravel S on top of the coating 7 and the narrow layer of sand 9 on top of the coating 7 beside the layer of gravel, said sanded strip-being from one to three inches wide from one edge of the burlap and said graveled strip covering the balance of the burlap. The coatings 3 and 4 of asphalt are applied to the sheet 2 and to the burlap 5 by running said sheets through a tank of hot asphalt, and the sheets are stuck together before the asphalt cools. The sand and gravel may be applied side by side at the same time, or one may be applied before the other, care being taken not to get one where when the material is laid upon a roof.

the other should be. In actual practice the sand is applied through a spout slightly ahead of the gravel-hopper.

A strip of sand is preferable to either the bare margin or a strip of paper. Thesand is applied to the upper layer of asphalt while the asphalt is hot and forms a good bond with the asphalt. It also forms a finely-roughened surface which makes as good a Water-shed as the gravel. When the sheets of roofing fabric are overlapped upon the roof, the sanded strip is at the upper edge and the lower edge of the next sheet above overlaps said sanded strip. Hot asphalt is applied to the sanded strip and forms a good bond with the overlapping edge. The sand assists in forming a good water-tight joint between the two sheets of roofing fabric because of the well-known principle that it is easier to cement an article to a rough surface than to a smooth surface. The strip of paper or the bare margin in the old roofing materials becomes dirty and smooth, and the hot asphalt used in making the seam is liable to peel from this bare margin. Another great advantage in using the strip of sand is from a spout and produce a strip of uniform width and of approximately straight edges, whereas it is hard to apply the strip of paper in such a way that the gravel edge will be straight, and it is hard to apply the asphalt with a roller in such a way that the bare margin will be left clean and the edge of the gravel straight, as is required to make a good joint There is a great advantage in using seasoned-asphalt roofing-felt instead of dry paper or tar paper, and there is a great advantage in placing the burlap between the gravel and roofing-felt instead of under the roofing-felt or between the two sheets of roofing-felt. The burlap is rough and the asphalt sticks to the burlap and the gravel sticks-to the asphalt and will not peel off, as it frequently does when the burlap is omitted. If desired, three ormore sheets of felt or-only one may be used instead of two.

Gravel-coated roofing with a marginal strip of sand is preferable to the old roofing material, where the gravel runs to both edges of the paper, because it reduces the thickness of the underlapping edge of roofing fabric without decreasing its efficiency as a watershed. When the upper sheet of roofing fabric is overlapped upon the strip of sand, a difference of a half inch or more or lessin the meeting lines of gravel is not material, whereas if the sand were omitted and the lines of gravel did not come together a surface of bare asphalt would be presented to the weather between said strips of gravel. The seasoned-asphalt roofing-felt is a wool-felt paper saturated with asphalt and dried.

1. A roofing fabric consisting of a sheet of seasoned-asphalt roofing-felt; a coating of asphalt upon the upper side of said felt; a sheet of burlap upon said coating of asphalt; a coating of asphalt upon said burlap; a layer of gravel upon said asphalt, leaving a narrow strip at one edge ungraveled; and a layer of sand upon said narrow strip, substantially as specified.

2. A roofing fabric consisting of a sheet of seasoned-asphalt roofing-felt; a coating of asphalt upon said felt; a second sheet of seasoned-asphalt roofing-felt upon said coating of asphalt; 'a second coating of asphalt upon said second sheet of felt; a third coating of asphalt upon said second coating; a sheet of burlap upon said third coating of asphalt; a fourth coating of asphalt upon said burlap; a layer of gravel upon said fourth coating of asphalt, leaving a narrow strip at one edge ungraveled; and a layer of sand upon said narrow strip, substantially as specified.

3. In a roofing fabric,'a sheet of suitable material; a coating of asphalt upon said sheet; a layer of gravel upon said coating of asphalt, leaving a narrow margin ungraveled; and a layer of sand upon said narrow margin, substantially as specified.

ROBERT J. REDICK.

Witnesses:

SEMER G. WELLS, WILLIAM F. RICHARDS. 

